Polishing machine



NOV. 20, 1934. LUCEY 1,981,654

POLISHING MACHINE Filed Jan, 9, 1929 Fig.1.-

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Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,981,654 POLISHING MACHINE Application January 9, 1929, Serial No. 331,317

18 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for finishing parts of boots and shoes and is illustrated as embodied in a machine for operating on sections of heels.v v

It is often'desired to treat certain sections of heels of shoes to theexclusion of other sections thereof. Rubber heels, rubber heel sections or top-lifts and fibre top-lifts furnish typical examples of distinct elements of heel portions of shoes which commonly are exclusively subjected to a finishing operation.

As herein illustrated, the invention is shown as embodied in a machine for use in treating the edges of top-lifts secured to the heels of womens shoes but it is to be understood that a machine embodying the invention may also be employed for cleaning or polishing the edges of rubberheels, rubber heel sections or top-lifts such as are commonly applied to men's shoes.

of the wooden heel is usually covered with a thin sheet of leather, celluloid or fabric having a' delicate surface finish; and a top-lift is secured to the end of the covered heel so that the surface of the composite heel between its attaching and tread faces is substantially continuous. It is desired to clean or polish the peripheral edge of the top-lift of such a heel by means of a rotary brush; but the appearance of the heel cover adjacent to the top-lift may be impaired if it is subjected to the action of the brush. In one of its aspects, accordingly, one feature of my invention consists in a rotary brush associated with a work positioning member comprising ,a, work engaging surface terminating radially within the ends of the bristles of the brush at the location where work is presented thereto whereby the periphery of the brush is exposed at this location and comprising also a brush controlling surface for confining the bristles of the brush within a definite lateral boundary. In treating a section of a heel, therefore, the heel may be presented to the brush so that the junction of the section to be treated and the adjacent portion of the heel is in alinement with the defined lateral boundary of the bristles, thus insuring action of the brush upon the edge of the section and its exclusion from the adjacent portion of the heel. v

The illustrated positioning member which defines the above-mentioned lateral boundary of the brush, is disposed, at one side of the brush, within a normal lateral boundary of the brush at the location where work is presented to the brush, as well as within its peripheral boundary, thereby to consolidate its bristles by deflecting In shoes of the type herein illustrated, the body them as they pass the above-mentioned location.

In another aspect, my invention contemplates the provision of means for limiting the effective Width of the brush in accordance with thatof the section of the work to be operated on and for alining the section to be treated with the effective portion of the brush. To this end and asherein shown, a second positioning member is disposed at the side of the brush opposite to that at which the first-mentioned member is located and has a 66 radial work engaging surface, acting as a work rest, to position the work laterally of the brush. The positioning members as embodied in the machine disclosed herein are mounted for adjustment laterally of the brush and hence to- 70 gether bound definitely an effective zone of consolidated bristles the width of which can be varied in accordance with the width of the heel section to be treated.

Invention is also to be recognized in'a construction disclosed herein as a result of which a portion of the periphery of the brush is exposed to the work and other portions thereof at each side of the first-mentioned portion are prevented from operating on the work. To this end, the go work engaging surface of a work positioning member is arranged to terminate radially within the ends of the bristles of the brush at the location where work is presented thereto and to extend beyond the ends of the bristles at cir- 5 cumferentially spaced points at each side of the above-mentioned location. Another feature of the invention-relates to a novel construction for supporting a positioning or deflecting memberin operative relation to a rotary brush. As herein shown, detachable clamping members are provided for attachment to one of the bearings of the brush shaft and these maintain a supporting rod in spaced relation to the shaft. The member or members may thus be conveniently mounted upon the support-- ing rod with suitable provision for adjustment both radially and laterally with respect to the brush.

These and other features of the invention will 10 be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of so much 10 of the machine as is necessary to understand my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, showing the brush in operation upon the toplift of a wooden heel.

My invention is shown as incorporated in a machine of the general type of that disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 950,301, granted February 22, 1910 on an application of C. Pease, to {which reference may be had for details of construction not herein shown. As in that machine, the frame carries a bracket 10 havingspaced horizontal bearings 12 and 14 bushed to receive a shaft 16. The shaft 16 carries a driving pulley 22 by which the shaft maybe driven through a belt from any convenient source of power.

Between the bearings 12 and 14, the shaft 16 carries a rotary brush comprising a hub 18 with radially-extending bristles 20. In ordinary practice, the rotary brush is employed to polish the surface of leather heels or toplifts to which liquid -medium is applied thereto.

. A bracket comprising two clamping members 26 and 28 is secured to the right-hand bearing 14.

. The lower end of each clamping member is curved and recessed so that it may find a fair seat on the cylindrical surface of the bearing 14 and both members are perforated to receive a pair of clamping bolts 29. Both clamping members are pro- .vided with hubs at their upper ends and the member 28 is forked so that it embraces the hub .of' the clamping member 26 between its arms. A supporting'rod 30 extends transversely through the hubs of the clamping members and is thus maintained rigidly in parallel spaced relation to the shaft 16.

Work positioning and bristle-deflecting members 32 and 34 are adjustably mounted upon the supporting rod 30 by clamping bolts 33 and 35. Each of these members is curved on a radius somewhat larger than that of the periphery of the brush and extends circumferentially about the front portion of the periphery of the brush.

Each of the members is provided with an outer work engaging portion and an innerbrush controlling flange, as shown in Fig. 4. As herein illustrated, the work engaging and brush engaging surfaces of the members 32 and 34 are contig. uous and preferably, but not necessarily, the line of intersection .of these surfaces is disposed within the normal lateral and peripheral boundaries of the brush. One result of this arrangement is that the bristles 20 of the brush are deflected inwardly from both sides asthey are swept between the-flanges of the deflecting members. They are thus consolidated and confined in a zone each side of which is sharply defined by the brush engaging surface of one deflecting member. The flange of the member 32 is extended radially for a portion of its periphery to form a tread rest 42 brush, as indicated in Fig. 2, owing to the differagainst which thftread surface of the toplift may be positioned, but the peripheral, work engaging portion of the other deflecting member 34 adjacent to the treadrest 42 terminates within the normal peripheral boundary of the brush,

so that the bristles 20 are exposed at their ends the deflecting members will spread and widen the zone of the confined bristles, the clamping bolts ence in the curvatures of the brush 20 and the members 32and 34.

Moreover, the tread rest 42 and the peripheral portion of the member 34 constitute substantially perpendicular work positioning surfaces which limit the movement of the work with respect to the brush laterally and radially thereof respectively.

At their lower ends, the deflecting members 32 and 34 are connected by a bolt 36 having a wing nut 38 for adjusting purposes. A compression spring 40 surrounds the bolt 36 between the deflecting members and tends always to separate them so that when the wing nut 38 is loosened,

33 and 35 previously having been loosened.

The supporting rod 30 is utilized also as a mounting for a curved belt guard or shield 24 which extends about a portion of the driving pulley-22 and in spaced relation therefrom. The guard 24 is provided with a split hub which receives the supporting rod 30 and with a clamping bolt 25 by which it may be secured in. place.

The machine is illustrated and has been described as adapted for cleaning or polishing the marginal surface of a toplift. In Fig. 4, a portion of a shoe 74 is shown having a wooden heel 72 with a leather or fibre toplift 70 forming its tread surface. When the brush shaft is driven, the relatively wide mass of unconfined bristles 20 is swept between the opposed faces of the flanges of the deflecting members 32 and 34. In the portion of its circumference controlled by these surfaces, which may be approximately 90, the bristles are deflected into a narrow, sharply-defined sector of correspondingly limited circum ferential extent. This sector constitutes the working point of the brush and in itthe bristles are consolidated and reinforced by the walls of 115 the deflecting members so that theyact with a high degree of efflciency upon the surface of the toplift presented to them.

It will be apparent that while the deflecting members are herein disclosed as symmetrically .3 arranged with respect to the brush and as extending substantially in the direction of rotation of the brush, their location may be varied to suit the requirements of the work in hand. With adaptation of this kind. the construction of my invention may be used for treating any defined zone in a heel other than the toplift and in general for treating any defined area in the surface of heels or'other articles suitable for brush polishing' Having thus described my invention, what I 130 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat'- ent-isz'.

i 1. In a finishing machine, in combinationya rotary brush, and a member adjustably mounted for movement laterally of the brush and radially about an axis remote from that of the brush, said member having contiguousbristle and work ehgaging surfaces the intersection of which is disposed within both the normallateraland peripheral boundaries of said'brush. 1 2. A machine for operating on shoes having, a rotary brush, and a work positioning member comprising a work engaging surface terminating radially within the ends of the'bristles of the brush at the location where work is presented 145 thereto but extending at each side of said location beyond the bristles and comprising a brush controlling surface also at the said location for confining the bristles of the brush within a definite 15o lateral boundary.

3. A finishing machine having, in combination, a rotatable brush having a peripheral work-engaging surface, and means having parallel surfaces extending substantially in the direction of rotation of the brush through a predetermined sector for limiting the effective width of that portion of the brush which is within said sector, said means also comprising work-engaging surfaces which are substantially, perpendicular relatively to each other for positioning the work radially and laterally with respect to the brush in order to facilitate the presentation of a section of the work thereto.

4. A finishing machine, having in combination, a circular rotary brush, means disposed within the normal boundary of said brush whereby the outer bristles of successive portions of the brush are deflected to the same point as the brush rotates past said deflecting means, said deflecting means having a work engaging face continuous with its bristle deflecting face to facilitate the presentation of the work to the brush.

5. A machine for operating on shoes having, in combination, a rotary brush, and a deflecting member having a work engaging surface and a brush engaging surface, said member being mounted so that successive sectors of bristles are deflected within their normal lateral boundary by contact with said brush engaging surface and the path of the ends of the bristles passes first beyond and then within said work engaging surface thereby to consolidate its bristles within a sharply defined lateral boundary and to expose the ends of the consolidated bristles to a piece of work held against the said work engaging surface of the deflecting member.

6. A machine for operating on shoes having, a rotary brush, and a work positioning member comprising a work engaging surface extending beyond the ends of the bristles of the brush at-circumferentially spaced points at each side of the location where work is presented to the brush and terminating within the ends of the bristles between said points thereby to expose the bristles at the said location, said member also comprising a brush controlling surface in juxtaposition to the brush for confining the bristles of the brush within a definite lateral boundary.

7. A machine for operating on heels, having in combination, a rotary brush, and cooperating de fleeting members having bristles engaging surfaces separated by a distance less than the normal width of the brush, thereby to deflect the bristles of the brush into a defined zone as they are swept between said surfaces, one of said members having an abutment projecting beyond theends of the bristles for gaging the work to facilitate the 'alinement of a section of the work with the brush.

8. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a rotary brush, a pair of curved defleeting members secured together in spaced relation and adjustably mounted adjacent to said brush for movement toward and from its axis, said members having surfaces for deflecting the bristles of the brush into a defined zone, and means associated with said members for alining a section of a heel with said zone.

9. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a rotary brush with a circumference of bristles, and a deflecting member for controlling the effective width of the brush, said member having a surface disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to the axis of the brush and located within the normal lateral boundary of the brush, and having a work-engaging face extending from said member beyond the ends of the bristles and disposed substantially in the plane of the deflecting surface.

10. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a rotary brush with a circumference of unconfined bristles, and spaced deflecting members having opposed flanges located within the normal boundary of the brush and creating a definitely bounded zone of deflected bristles, one of said flanges having a portion thereof extended beyond the other to serve as a work rest.

11. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a driven shaft carrying a rotary brush, stationary bearings for the shaft, a pair of clamping memberssecured to one of said bearings and maintaining a supporting rod in parallel spaced relation to said shaft, and a bristle-defleeting member adjustably mounted upon said supporting rod.

12'. A finishing machine, having in combination, a circular rotary brush having a relatively wide periphery of unconfined bristles, and a curved deflecting means for consolidating the bristles in a narrow sharply-defined sector of limited circumferential extent at the working point, the curvature of said deflecting means being less than that of the periphery of the brush.

'13. A machine for polishing toplifts, comprising a. driven rotary brush, plural means mounted for adjustment laterally of the brush for controlling its effective width in accordance with the width of the toplift to be treated, said means also being mounted for adjustment toward and away from the axis of the brush, and means for locating a heel with its toplift in registration with said boundary of the brush thereby to define a lateral boundary thereof.

15. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a rotary finishing brush having a peripheral work engaging surface, and arcuate work positioning members disposed at the sides of the brush, one of said members having a peripheral work engaging surface of less curvature than that of the periphery of the brush and being mounted so that successive portions of the periphery of the brush are exposed as they sweep through a predetermined sector, the other of said members having a radial work engaging surface for positioning the, work laterally of the brush.

16. A machine for operating on shoes having, a rotary brush having a peripheral work engaging surface, and work positioning members comprising a flange at one side of the brush having a substantially radial surface to prevent outward lateral displacement of the bristles the outer edge of which surface intercepts a portion of the periphery of the brush, and a second flange at the opposite side of the brush having a work rest extending radially beyond the periphery of the brush at the location where work is presented thereto for positioning the work laterally of the brush.

17. A machine for operating on shoes having, a

neonate tary brush having a peripheral work engaging surface, and work positioning members disposed one at each side ot said brush, one of said members having a radial work and brush controlling surface a portion of which extends beyond the periphery of the brush and the other having a peripheral work engaging surface ior positioning a piece of work held thereagainst laterally and.

radially respectively.

V WCHAEL LUCEY. 

